John Amaechi: Salon’s Sexiest Men Living

One of the last things you expect from a former professional basketball player is humility, but earlier this year, when John Amaechi became the first NBA player to come out of the closet (considered to be sexy in its own right) it became clear during his rounds of the media that he was not only scholarly, handsome and smart, but more than happy to cut himself down to size. On “The Daily Show,” when Jon Stewart chided him about being British, he deadpanned: “There’s one [British player] in Chicago now, but he’s actually good.”

For those of us with distaste for the machismo and egocentrism that often accompany professional sports, and, despite that, a predilection for tall athletes in shorts, Amaechi’s self-deprecation is beyond refreshing — it’s hot. Combine that with a British accent, a sharp sense of humor, a delightfully screwy dental structure, and a history of vocal opposition to the National Rifle Association, and you’ve got my vote for the gay male heartthrob of the year.

It’s as if Amaechi decided to single-handedly destroy all of our preconceptions about professional basketball players at once. Sure, he’s gay. But he’s also a political activist. He’s completing his Ph.D. in child psychology. He writes poetry. He drinks Early Grey tea. He makes introspective YouTube videos about his height. He’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Professional basketball doesn’t just need more openly gay players. It needs more John Amaechis. And so do we.